Chair



F. B. LEECH March 4, 1941;

CHAIR Filed June 28, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 "March 4, 194 1. F. B. LEECH CHAIR Filed June 28, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 F. B. LEE CH March 4, 1941.

Filed Jun 28, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 4, 1941 Francis E. Leech, Glen, Md,

Furniture Company,

.1 w to Mueller Application .liune as, 193s, Serial st. 215,401 2 (or. res-rec) This invention relates to upholstered chairs and more particularly to chairs having flat bowed springs for supporting the seat and back upholstery.

An object of .the invention is to provide a chair wherein the conventional tied coil spring and med upholstery are eliminated and to use in place thereof a plurality of flat resiliently supported springs in the seat and back and to upholster the chair with a readily removable padded unit.

A further object of the present construction resides in the novel and simple means provided for retaining the upholstery unit in position on the chair while allowing its instant removal for cleaning and for the purpose of dusting the cushions and under portion of the chair.

A still further object is the improved manner of retaining the fiat seat springs in position on the chair frame and the combination of this retaining means with the means for securing the upholstery in snug fitted relation to the seat and back portions of the chair.

In the dras,

Fig. l is a vertical cross sectional View showing the attachment of the upholstery to the chair frame;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view in cross section of the front seat bar and spring structure;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view partly in vertical cross section of the upper portion of the back of the chair showing one form of attachment of the upholstery:

Fig. 4 is a partial top plan view of the top of I the chair back illustrated in Fig. 3;

' rails of a chair seat, the spaced side rails being held together by front and rear transverse bars 2 and 3, respectively. While the side rails l and bars 2 and 3 may be supported by any suitable leg structure, it has been found convenient to use integrally combined front leg and arm memhers 4, whose ends are joined to integral rear leg and back members 5. A top transverse bar it joins the upper ends of the opposite leg and back members 5, while a second transverse reinforcing bar l'l secures the members 5 at a point adjacent the jointure or the side rails i with the rear leg and back members ll.

The front and rear transverse bars 2 and 3 are positioned within the chair frames, as illustrated in detail Figs. 2 and 6, where it will be seen that. the front bar 2 has a curved upper edge and is retained between the side rails i in a substantially vertical plane. The rear bar 3, on the other hand, has a curved tapered top and rearward side surface and is set on an oblique angle. A plurality of parallel spaced substantially flat seat supporting spring straps it are secured between the front and rear bars 2 and 8,, the ends of the straps being hinged or riveted to downwardly curved and members it, which coincide with the outer sides ofthe bars 2 and 8 and are retained in position thereagalnst by a fastening means to be hereinafter described.

Both the series of front and rear curved end hangers it are reinforced by comparatively Stifl spring checks or plates ill, which contact directly on the front and rear bars, with the hangers it overlapping and extending heyond the upper curved ends of the plates ill.

The lower ends of the front series ers to and spring plates ii are rigidly attached to front bar 2 by an outer wooden or metal strip 28 provided with an er cut-away section to accommodate the thickness of the ers and plates. Screws mare inserted through strip and registering openings 23 in the sets of hangers and plates and extend into the front bar 2. A fabric or other flexible strip 25 is placed between the lower abutting portions of the strip 20 and bar 2 and extends slightly below the bottom of the bar, with one half of a Zipper type separable fastener 28 secured thereto.

The series of hangers i8 and stiffening plates l'l may be similarly attached to the rear bar 3, although it is preferable to extend the lower ends of the hangers and plates downwardly and around the bottom edge of the bar. Here a metal or wooden strip 21, provided with screws 28, passes through the hangers and plates, and retains the elements in secure position against bar 3. A flexible strip 29, havingone hall. or a zipper type separable fastener 30 on its outer edge, is provided between the strip and bar, see Fig. 5.

The transverse middle reinforcing bar or brace H is termed oi two sections 3| and 32 joined by screws 33 and retains therebetween a flexible strip 34 having one half of a Zipper type separable fastener 35 thereon.

The upholstery covering of the seat and back portions is preferably made as a unit, the padded seat portion 40 being connected by an unpadded section or web All tothe padded back portion 42, As shown in Figs. 1, 6, and 7, a strip 43, having one half of a Zipper type fastener 44 thereon, is sewed or otherwise secured to th underside of the web 4| and cooperates with Zipper half to hold the mid section of the upholstery to the rear portion of the chair frame.

The lower front edge 45 of the seat pad or cushion may have a fiber or metal strip 46 in the bottom thereof with a flexible strip 4'! sewed or otherwise secured to the under surface thereof, terminating in one half of a Zipper type separable fastener 48, which cooperates with Zipper half 26 to holdthe lower edge snugly against the front bar 2.

The back pad or cushion 42 rests on a series of spaced parallel flat bowed transverse springs 50 fastened to the upper portions of the back members 5; the ends of the springs being. loosely covered by flexible side pieces 5| so that they are hidden from view, if the back cushion is not tight against the frame.

Figs. 3 and 5 disclose alternative methods of securing the top outer edge 52 of the back cushion, al-thoughin either form a fiber or metal strip 53 is sewed or otherwise secured in the edge 52 which cooperates with and is retained in groove 54 formed between the main back brace In and auxiliary strip 55. In the construction illustrated in Fig. 3, one half of a Zipper type separable fastener 55 on strip 51 is amxed to the back brace l0 within top groove 54 and cooperates with a similar fastener 58 sewed to strip 59 fastened adjacent the upper edge of the back cushion. The top strip 53 when inserted in groove 54 positions the back cushion against the back bar "I, while the separable fastener prevents the top strip and back cushion from displacement.

The back of the chair frame is covered with an ornamented sheet 55, which may have a surface of cloth matching the upholstery cover. I

As shown in the modification in Fig. 5, the to Zipper fastener 51-58 is dispensed with and in lieu thereof an outer back panel 60 is attached to the upper edge of the back cushion. This panel 60 is preferably of similar material to the upholstery covering so that it finishes oil the back of the chair in a pleasing manner. The lower end of the panel 50 is provided with one half of a Zipper type fastener 6| secured to strip 62 and cooperates with a similar fastener 88 secured to strip '54 retained between the bottom of rear bar I and fastening strip 21.

What I claim is:

1. In a chair or the like, means securing an upholstery pad to the frame of a spring structure in which flat spring strips span opposite sides of said frame and have their ends secured to the rails of said frame by cover cleats overlying the ends of said spring strips and secured to said rails, said securing means comprising a strip of fabric material having an edge lying between said cleat and said frame and secured therein, separable fasteners secured between and extending beyond the edges of the front and rear rails of the seat frame and the said auxiliary strips, and similar separable fasteners secured to the lower edge of the covering and to the end of the said back extension for cooperation therewith 2. In a chair or the like, means securing an upholstery cushion to the frame of a spring structure in which flat spring strips span opposite sides of said frame and have their ends secured to the rails of said frame by cover cleats overlying the ends of said spring strips and secured to said rails, said securing means comprising a strip of fabric material having an edge lying between said cleat and said frame and secured therein and having a portion of a separable fastener. thereon secured to the bottom rail of the back frame and a unitary upholstery pad comprising seat and back cushions joined by a transverse web portion adapted to be positioned over the seat and back springs, an lmpadded panel secured to the top edge of the back cushion, and adapted'to overlie the rear surface of said back frame, a portion of a separable fastener secured to the underside of said web portion and also to the end of said panel, said fasteners cooperating with one another to secure the upholstery at the several points to said chair.

FRANCIS B. m 

